How to make dust clouds?

[MustEatBrains]

Hello all!

I´ve been assembling my ACTA terrain for some time now, but was never sure how I could do proper dust clouds.

The most obvoius would be to get me a few pictures of real space nebulas and print/cut them out, but I´m looking for something with more substance.

I thought about creating bases with fine, white sand on them, which I later paint with inks of appropiate colours, but I´m not sure if whether this would work, either.

Any suggestions, or possibly pictures of your dust clouds? Or maybe links to good nebula pictures?

 

[Lorcan Nagle]

I'm interested in this too, with my current terrain-making drive.

 

[Burger]

Hash has some great ones. They are real space pictures, printed on (I think) photo paper.

 

[MustEatBrains]

okay, I just googled "space nebulas"... wow, there´s some awesome sights out there in space! Has anyone done that and could post some pictures of his gaming table?

 

[Iain McGhee]

That's what I use as well. Unfortunately my camera is a crappy 2MP freebie so I can't post any decent pictures (I've got one SST pic in the gallery, but that was really just to show a modified flight base). I actually used ones from the B5 (Freespace open source mod) PC game (as well as planet templates) which I had printed off and laminated.

Originally I just placed markers at the cloud edges, same as I do for asteroid field borders.

 

[Reaverman]

Hash has some great ones. They are real space pictures, printed on (I think) photo paper.

Though technically, its not constructing them, its just printing them

I was thinking of doing some card bases. With wafts of cotton wool attached. The base would be classed as where the gas cloud starts, and finishes.

You can also just get some black card, and using an old tooth brush sprinkle loads of paint on it.

 

[Greg Smith]

I used pictures of real nebula, printed on photo paper and cut into randon shapes.

I used these: http://www.crystalinks.com/nebula.html

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/milkyway/ism.htm

 

[CheesyRobMan]

You can also just get some black card, and using an old tooth brush sprinkle loads of paint on it.

Or just spread it with PVA and sprinkle fine grey flock or gravel onto it. Or, if you're feeling really cheap, just cut out a wibbly shape from grey card and write "DUST CLOUD" on it.

 

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

I plan to print mine on clear acetate run through our color laser printer at work. I'll see if I can get one done this week and post a pic. I plan on putting a thick colored line around it so the edges are well defined, stops arguments that way.

 

[MustEatBrains]

I plan to print mine on clear acetate run through our color laser printer at work.

Wow, I wish I´d had access to that kind of hardware!

Oh, and Greg: The second link seems to be broken...

With all this talk about Nebula, I´ve just bid on a "Star Trek 2" dvd on ebay; cool and inspiring space fight sequence (and the only scene within a nebula I can think of, apart from sequences in old and new BSG...)

 

[Geekybiker]

I just collect a few dust clouds from under the bed when I need them.

 

[Burger]

I just collect a few dust clouds from under the bed when I need them.

Err... that comment is quite disturbing when looking at your avatar...

 

[Chernobyl]

for 3D nebulas, I get some pillow bunting from a fabric shop and spray it a bit with some colored spray paint. you can tear it into neat shapes.

However, from a playing standpoint I prefer the printed terrain as it gives well-defined edges and packs away easily.

Some others have been suggesting lately about a hybrid approach, placing 3D terrain on top of counters, asteroids was a big discussion, and then somone suggested plaging a hemisphere planet model on top of a round counter for one (cool idea) so you can remove the model when needed. I'm sure the gas clouds can't be far behind all that...

Chern

 

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

After giving this some more thought, I believe that I will print the clouds out on clear stickybacks and then put it on a piece of plexiglas to give it a little depth on the board. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[katadder]

you could always do the mongoose type ones consisting of cotton wool or something on flying bases.

 

[shakey]

My dustcloud is a shaped, painted and sprayed piece of 2/3mm plywood which will give it distinct edges with pieces of wire wool on flying bases.
you pull the wire wool apart untill you are left with a very fine mesh and spay to suit.

 

[MustEatBrains]

Ah well, I´ve given the "print it out and laminate it" version a try -´the result looks ok; even though I didn´t have photopaper at the moment and had to use regular paper... might try to make something more satisfying in the near future, but for now I´m more than happy with my new dust clouds!

BTW, the table is NOT considered to be finished; there will be stars one day, I promise! :wink:

 

[Reaverman]

Very funky though

 

[Chernobyl]

brains, good stuff!
my favorites are (in photo #1) the one on extreme left and upper right.
The eagle head nebula (looks like 2 vertical columns) dosn't quite fit in my mind because its actually 2 different clouds there, but over all its really good. I never thought to use actual photos...

Chern

 

[MustEatBrains]

brains, good stuff!
my favorites are (in photo #1) the one on extreme left and upper right.
The eagle head nebula (looks like 2 vertical columns) dosn't quite fit in my mind because its actually 2 different clouds there, but over all its really good. I never thought to use actual photos...

Chern

Ah yes, those came out of the printer really well.

I just HAD to include the eagle, becaue a) I have always loved that photo and b) it´s actually featured in the series (or at least something very similar to it), when Ivanova, Marcus and Lorien go looking for the final First Ones...